OMAHA, Neb. – Kaeden Kent has stepped up to provide Texas A&M with crucial offensive firepower in the absence of injured star Braden Montgomery.
On Saturday night, Kent squared up mistake pitches by Tennessee’s pitchers to lead the Aggies to a 9-5 victory in the first game of the College World Series championship series at Charles Schwab Field.
Batting out of the eighth spot in the lineup, Kent went 3 for 5 with a home run and four RBIs.
“I think it’s attributed to the support that I get and the people that believe in me, the people that have my back and I can count on, and people that I can, like my parents or my brother, I can look to the stands and they can give me, they can pound their chest, like you got this,” Kent said. “That puts a lot of relaxation on my mind, kind of to ease down.”
The sophomore second baseman moved into the starting lineup when Montgomery went down with a season-ending ankle injury in the NCAA Tournament Super Regionals against Oregon.
Despite the high-pressure situation, Kent has remained composed and focused on the team’s success. His straightforward approach has yielded impressive results at the plate. Since moving into the lineup, Kent, son of former MLB second baseman Jeff Kent, is 11 for 21 with 12 RBIs in five games.
“Obviously, a guy like Kent grew up in a big league clubhouse,” coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “Most sons of Major League players, and I’ve coached several, that’s one thing, they handle it pretty well.”
Texas A&M will try to capture its first national championship in program history at 1 p.m. CT Sunday. Tennessee will send reliable righty Drew Beam to the mound, while the Aggies plan to rely heavily on their bullpen.
Dan Zielinski III has covered the MLB draft for nine years. He has interviewed 518 of the top draft prospects in that period, including four No. 1 overall picks. Multiple publications, including Baseball America, USA Today, MLB.com, The Arizona Republic and The Dallas Morning News, have quoted his work, while he has appeared on radio stations as a “MLB draft expert.” Follow him on Twitter @DanZielinski3.
